Iran may have already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, but the country’s preparations for football’s biggest tournament are increasingly being overshadowed by political tensions, internal divisions and growing debate surrounding star striker Sardar Azmoun.
The 31-year-old forward, regarded as one of the most successful Iranian players of his generation, was left out of coach Amir Ghalenoei’s provisional 30-man squad earlier this month despite remaining one of the country’s top all-time goalscorers.
Azmoun has scored 57 goals in 91 appearances for Iran and previously played for clubs including Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma and Zenit Saint Petersburg.
However, his absence from the squad has reignited discussion over the growing overlap between politics and football inside Iran.
According to reports from The Guardian, Iranian politician Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh publicly urged national team officials to reconsider Azmoun’s exclusion ahead of the World Cup.
“The homeland’s need is to preserve the threads of connection between its children,” a message from Hosseinzadeh’s social media account stated while calling for Azmoun’s return as a symbol of “national unity.”
Azmoun has not represented Iran since June 2025 and has previously been outspoken regarding political developments inside the country.
During protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, Azmoun openly criticized Iranian authorities through social media posts supporting women protesters.
“At worst I’ll be dismissed from the national team,” Azmoun wrote at the time. “No problem. I’d sacrifice that for one hair on the heads of Iranian women.”
Tensions reportedly escalated further earlier this year after Azmoun shared photographs of himself meeting Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a move that reportedly angered sections of the Iranian establishment.
The controversy arrives amid wider geopolitical uncertainty surrounding Iran’s participation at the World Cup itself.
Although Iran qualified comfortably for the tournament, relations between Iran and the United States have complicated logistical planning ahead of the competition, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
Earlier this week, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that Mexico would host Iran’s training camp during the tournament after reports suggested the United States would not allow the team to remain there full-time.
Iran are now expected to travel into the US only for their group-stage matches before returning to Mexico afterwards.
Despite the off-field uncertainty, several experienced names remain part of Iran’s provisional squad, including striker Mehdi Taremi, former Brighton & Hove Albion winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh and ex-Brentford FC midfielder Saman Ghoddos.
But as the final squad announcement approaches, the biggest discussion surrounding Iran’s World Cup campaign may no longer be tactical. Instead, it increasingly centers around whether one of the country’s biggest football stars has become a political exile from the national team.
